Arming Ourselves to Death

When I was a graduate student I remember reading an account by an anthropologist of Africa who watched helplessly as local communities responded to a virulent epidemic by coming together not to develop public health measures but to identify and kill the witches presumed to have caused the epidemic. I feel just like that helpless anthropologist whenever I watch Americans react to their latest gun massacre. Always hoping that this time the response will be different (paradigms can change, after all), so far I have seen in the reaction to each massacre the predominance of a magical thinking that seems impervious to reason.

But according to American magical thinkers, the solution to gun massacres is more guns. Thus Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America and Bob McDonnell, the governor of Virginia (where I teach) have both said that the way to stop massacres in schools is to arm the principals and the teachers. TN state Senator Frank Niceley is planning to introduce legislation to require one armed teacher at each school. This assumes again that the threat is outside, and the gun will save us from it. But the threat is often inside, and we are arming it. Every week I read about a teacher in the Washington DC metropolitan area who has been arrested for possessing child pornography or sexually abusing children. Today’s Washington Post has a page three story about child care workers at one of the largest day care centers in Northern Virginia arrested for punching, pinching and dragging two year-olds entrusted to their care. And we think that giving such people guns will make our children safer? How long before we read about a teacher who snapped and became the shooter the doors of the school were locked to keep out? Or about the teacher who did not secure a gun properly, so that one first-grader shot another?

Pogo famously said, “we have met the enemy and he is us.” Why would we arm our enemy?

Alright, so Ameican Anthro Assoc. and Huffington Post recently published an article of mine about the anthropology of gun ownership. I cited this blog, among others. Though I challenged some of your points, I'd be honored if you guys returned the favor, visited our comment thread, and critiqued my points, at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/american-anthropolo…